Methods and apparatus for promoting financial behavioral change

ABSTRACT

Some embodiments of the invention provide tools for promoting a user&#39;s financial well-being by encouraging positive financial behavior through timely feedback, counseling and instruction. For example, some embodiments of the invention may provide real-time (e.g., in response to a transaction being performed, or in response to the user indicating he/she is contemplating a transaction) useful analysis and advice designed to encourage the type of ongoing financial behavior that leads over time to financial well-being.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/273,782, filed Feb. 12, 2019, entitled METHODS AND APPARATUS FORPROMOTING FINANCIAL BEHAVIORAL CHANGE, bearing Attorney Docket No.M1292.70000US04, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/624,812, filed Jun. 16, 2017, entitled METHODS AND APPARATUS FORPROMOTING FINANCIAL BEHAVIORAL CHANGE, bearing Attorney Docket No.M1292.70000US03, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 14/774,509, filed Sep. 10, 2015, entitled METHODS AND APPARATUS FORPROMOTING FINANCIAL BEHAVIORAL CHANGE, bearing Attorney Docket No.M1292.70000US02, which is a national stage application filed under 35U.S.C. § 371 of PCT Application Serial No. PCT US2014/026549, filed Mar.13, 2014, entitled METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR PROMOTING FINANCIALBEHAVIORAL CHANGE, bearing Attorney Docket No. M1292.70000WO00, whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.61/784,166, filed Mar. 14, 2013, entitled METHODS AND APPARATUS FORPROMOTING FINANCIAL BEHAVIORAL CHANGE, bearing Attorney Docket No.M1292.70000US00. The entirety of each of the documents listed above isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Financial counseling and money management is often provided in one ofthree distinct ways: via a financial advisor/planner, via financialcounseling, or via digital money management tools Individuals withsufficient assets often hire a financial advisor who can develop a planfor their future, typically focused on preparing for retirement,education and other life expenses by managing their investable assets.In pursuit of that goal, a financial advisor may examine their client'sincome and expenses to determine how much can be made available overtime for these ongoing investments. The analysis to determine how theirspending behavior impacts the availability of investable income is oftenrelatively cursory, infrequent, and delayed. Financial advisorstypically do not provide day-to-day advice on how their clients can makebetter money-related decisions. Rather, they typically examine clientprogress at most a few times a year, and use delayed transactionalinformation collected from previous periods to counsel clients.

Individuals experiencing financial hardship may seek counseling on howto rehabilitate their finances. A counselor evaluates the client'sfinancial situation to determine how he/she may best manage their incometowards meeting financial obligations and goals. A counselor mayassemble a financial plan, provide money management tools and exercises,and arrange for regularly scheduled evaluations with the client.Financial counselors typically do not provide day-to-day advice on howclients can make better money decisions. Moreover, interactions with theclient are often infrequent, and their analysis is delayed. A counselormay instruct a client to regularly log on to their online bank accountto monitor their income and expenses to ensure that he/she remains ontrack to pay down debts. In this example the client will often notinteract with a financial counselor again unless they go off track.

All individuals also have access to online services that allow a user toperform a superficial analysis of their finances. A user may provide aservice with access to their financial data. The service may thenaggregate information from multiple accounts, categorize thetransactions, and provide the user with some insight as to how his/hermoney is being spent. For example, a service may enable a user to seehow much he/she regularly spends for goods or services in a givencategory, and compare that amount to a budgeted amount. While the usercan access this information as frequently as they wish, the analysis isdelayed by the amount of time it takes the service to collect theinformation from the user's financial accounts, typically a few hoursand more often a few days.

SUMMARY

Some embodiments of the invention provide methods for encouraging andpromoting a user's financial well-being by delivering timely insights,tools and incentives. Rather than reviewing a user's financial historyin hindsight, some embodiments of the invention provide timely insights,such as when a transaction is performed, or when a user indicates he/sheis contemplating a transaction. These insights may be designed toencourage spending and saving behaviors that lead to an improvedfinancial well-being. Further, some embodiments of the invention mayincent a user to maintain or improve their financial well-being byoffering access to services, special offers, discounts, etc. Some ofthese incentives may bolster the user's financial wellness over time,creating a cycle of positive behavioral reinforcement. Additionally,some embodiments may employ social aspects in encouraging positivefinancial habits. For example, one or more social networks to which auser belongs could be used as a platform for delivering insights andfeedback, and/or information gleaned from the social network(s) may beused to provide insights and feedback.

In some embodiments of the invention, a framework is provided forinteracting with a user at three main levels: at the transaction level,at the intermediate (“budget”) level, and at the high (“overallfinancial wellness”) level. Interaction with a user at the transactionlevel may involve providing immediate feedback on transactions which theuser has performed, or indicates they are considering performing. Toprovide timely feedback, some embodiments of the invention may providefor interaction with the user via a mobile device, such as a cellulartelephone, smartphone, tablet device, and/or any other suitable mobiledevice. When the user completes or indicates she is considering aparticular transaction, some embodiments may provide immediate, helpfulinsights via the mobile device which encourage behavior that promotesfinancial well-being. (The pronouns “she” and “her” are used assubstitutes for “his/her” and “he/she” throughout the description thatfollows, for simplicity and readability, although it is to be understoodthat the aspects of the invention disclosed herein have equalapplicability to, and equal usefulness for, all users regardless ofgender.) For example, after purchasing a coffee at a coffee store, auser may receive a notification via her mobile device that she has spent$300 that month at the same coffee store. This insight puts theindividual transaction just completed into larger context for the user,and may alter the user's thinking on future financial decisions, such aswhether to buy a coffee tomorrow as opposed to making it at home,whether to spend more money on entertainment that month, etc.

Interaction with the user at the intermediate level may includeproviding an analysis of how transactions performed now affect theuser's finances over a more extended period, such as in relation to amonthly budget. For example, the user's spending in previous months maybe analyzed to model a “typical” month, and transactions occurringduring the present month may be analyzed (e.g., as they occur) todetermine whether the user has deviated from her typical monthlyspending. If so, she may be informed of the effects of the transactionon their monthly budget. For example, the user may be informed that as aresult of purchasing coffee at a coffee store that morning, she willexceed their budgeted monthly expenses unless she reduces her spendingto $5 per day. This type of feedback puts the user's minute-by-minutefinancial decisions into a monthly context, and enables the user to seethat each transaction has an immediate effect on their longer-termfinancial health.

Interaction at the highest level may involve providing the user with anindication of her overall financial well-being (e.g., in the form of ascore), which may reflect the user's ability to sustain their savingslevels, and increase her net worth over time. Further, some embodimentsof the invention may contextualize individualize transactions within theuser's overall financial well-being, so that the user sees the effect ofday-to-day habits on her long-term financial health. For example, aftercompleting a transaction at a coffee shop, the user may be informed thatif she continues to buy coffee every day, so that her regular coffeeexpense is $200 per month, then her “financial wellness score” scorewill decrease from X to Y. The user may also be informed that bydirecting that amount into savings instead, she could achieve a personalsavings goal of SX by Y date, could reduce her overall debt X % by Ydate, etc., which would increase her score from X to Z. This type offeedback may encourage the user to engage in the type of daily financialbehaviors that lead to financial security over time.

Further, in some embodiments of the invention, the user may earn“points” or rewards as a result of attaining a particular financialwellness score, completing certain financial wellness tasks, orachieving certain financial wellness goals. Users may redeem thosepoints for rewards, discounts, offers, etc., and other items that mayfurther reinforce their financial wellness. This positive reinforcementis designed to lead to a cycle of behaviors that may be beneficial tothe user.

Some embodiments of the invention may employ social aspects inencouraging positive financial habits. For example, in some embodiments,one or more social networks to which a user belongs could be used as aplatform for delivering insights and feedback, and/or informationgleaned from the social network(s) may be used to provide insights andfeedback. This may take any of numerous forms. As one example, if asocial network allows users to schedule events and invite other users toattend, then some embodiments of the invention may employ thisinformation to promote financial planning relating to the event. Forinstance, if a user is invited to a birthday party, then the user may beencouraged to regularly set aside savings until the date of the partyarrives to buy a birthday gift. In another example, information about auser's connections (e.g., “friends”) within a social network, and/orabout the user's expressed preferences, may be used in providingrecommendations (e.g., about restaurants or other service providers thatrepresent good value, so as to anticipate and prevent impulsivedecisions), or promotional offers or rewards (e.g., from merchants forwhich a user has expressed an affinity, from merchants referred by oneuser to another user, etc.).

In other examples, information gathered from social networks may be usedas a vehicle to perform user-to-user financial comparisons (e.g., totrack users' progress against a common goal), encourage users to abideby financial commitments (e.g., by enabling a user to announce afinancial goal to her connections, who may provide encouragement as sheworks to achieve it), and provide indicia of financial status (e.g.,recognition for a user's having reached a financial goal). Socialnetworks, and the information provided thereby, may have any of numeroususes in relation to the embodiments of the invention described herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings are not intended to be drawn to scale. In thedrawings, each identical or nearly identical component as illustrated invarious figures is represented by a like numeral. For purposes ofclarity, not every component may be labeled in every drawing. In thedrawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting components of a system designed toencourage positive financial behavior in users, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart depicting a representative process for providingtransaction-level feedback to a user, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3 depicts a representative screen interface showing an example oftransaction-level feedback which may be presented to a user, inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart depicting a representative process for comparing auser's current financial path within a period to the user's typicalfinancial path in comparable periods, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a graph depicting a user's current and typical financial path,in accordance with some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart depicting a representative process for assessingthe pace of a user's spending activity, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart depicting a representative process for assessingthe pace of a user's savings activity, in accordance with someembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a representative process for generating arepresentation of a user's pace of spending activity, in accordance withsome embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a chart depicting a user's pace of spending activity, inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a representative process for generating arepresentation of a user's pace of savings activity, in accordance withsome embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 11 is a chart depicting a user's pace of savings activity, inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a representative process for determining acategory score in relation to an overall financial wellness score, inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of a representative process for calculating acategory score which relates to an overall financial wellness score, inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 14 is flowchart of a representative process for calculating acategory score relating to an overall financial wellness score, inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart of a representative process for calculating acategory score relating to an overall financial wellness score, inaccordance with some embodiments of the invention; and

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of an example computer system which may beused to implement certain aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Architecture

Some embodiments of the invention provide a system which supportstimely, helpful interactions with users to motivate positive behaviorthat leads over time to improved financial well-being. FIG. 1 depictscomponents of representative system 100, which includes experienceengine 120, user device(s) 140 and platform 110. In general, theexperience engine 120 processes information provided by platform 110 tocreate a user experience that is delivered to user device(s) 140 vianetwork(s) 130. As described further below, the user experience mayincorporate transaction-level insights, intermediate-level feedback(e.g., which places individual transactions into a larger context), andhigh-level guidance (e.g., reflecting the user's overall financialwellness).

Recognizing the ubiquity of mobile devices, the value of timeliness inproviding useful feedback to users, and the fact that many transactionsare performed by users when they are away from home, some embodiments ofthe invention provide for communicating with users via mobile devices(e.g., a cellular telephone such as a “smartphone,” a tablet device, alaptop computer, a handheld game console, a portable media player,and/or any other suitable mobile device). In some embodiments of theinvention, aspects of the user experience may be delivered via the WorldWide Web, such that a mobile web browser executing on the user's mobiledevice(s) may display feedback to the user. However, embodiments of theinvention are not limited to such an implementation, as any suitablecontent delivery mechanism(s) may be used. For example, a mobile devicemay execute one or more standalone applications which provide “in-app”feedback to the user.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, embodiments of the invention are notlimited to providing feedback to users via mobile devices, as anysuitable device may be used. For example, a user may receive feedbackvia a desktop computer, other type of non-mobile personal computer,network console, and/or any other suitable device.

In representative system 100, experience engine 120 draws upon the dataand/or processing capability provided by platform 110. Somerepresentative types of data and/or processing capabilities whichplatform 110 may provide include those related to financial products(e.g., those which are either used by, or may be offered to the user,such as deposit accounts, borrowing, investments, etc.; and/or themanagement of financial product accounts, of regulatory compliance, orcustomer service), issuance and payments (e.g., card issuance, mobilewallets, customer service, payment processing, monitoring and reporting,fraud prevention, etc.), security and risk (e.g., identity validation,biometric authentication, account security, etc.), data and analytics(e.g., account aggregation, social networks, credit bureau integration,etc.), and retail services (e.g., merchant offers, merchant loyaltyaccounts). Platform 110 may supply information and/or processingcapability to experience engine 120 in any suitable form, using anysuitable technique(s) and/or infrastructure. Further, platform 110 maycomprise any suitable number and type of computing systems and/orstorage facilities, and information and processing capabilities may bedistributed among the system(s) and facility(ies) in any suitablefashion.

II. Transaction-Level Interaction

Some embodiments of the invention provide for user interaction at theindividual transaction level, which may involve providing timelyfeedback on transactions the user has just completed, or indicates sheis contemplating.

For example, some embodiments of the invention may interact with theuser via a mobile device. When the user completes or indicates she isconsidering a particular transaction, timely, helpful insights andcontext may be provided to the user via the mobile device to encouragepositive financial behavior.

Some embodiments of the invention analyze information relating to a“current” (e.g., completed, contemplated, etc.) transaction to determinethe type of feedback that is to be provided to the user as a result ofperforming that transaction. FIG. 2 shows a representative technique 200for making such a determination.

At the start of process 200, the current transaction is categorized inact 210. This categorization may be performed in any of numerous ways.In some embodiments, the transaction categorization scheme shown inTable 1 may be used.

TABLE 1 Transaction Categorization Scheme. Super- category CategorySub-category Description MONEY OUT Spend Goods & Services Everythingfrom clothes to haircuts, electronics to spa (Shopping & Services, days,toys to dry cleaning, all the nice things you like to Shopping &Personal, pay for (Clothing, Electronics, Toys, Dry Cleaning, Spas,Salons, etc.) Restaurants & Bar Eating and drinking out or ordering in(Dining Out, Dining & (Restaurants, Delis, Bars & Nightclubs) Drinks)Hobbies & Entertainment Things you watch or do for fun Travel & LeisureGetting away from all for vacation or family (Hotels, Airlines, Cruises,Rental Cars & Taxis) Fees & Interest All the fees you pay to manage orborrow money (Fees, Penalties & Interest Charges) Cash When you can'tpay with your phone or card Live Home A roof over your head and a bed tosleep in (Rent, Mortgage, Furnishings, Taxes, Insurance, Maintenance,Repair) Groceries & Supplies Cook, eat, clean, repeat (Food, HouseholdSupplies, Incidentals) Getting Around The way you get to work and back(Commute & Transportation) (Subway, Bus, Auto, Tolls, Gas, Registration,Insurance, Maintenance, Repair) Health & Fitness Staying in shape,getting your checkups, taking your medicine (Doctor, Dentist, Pharmacy &Gym) Education Getting you and your family smarter every day (School,Books, & Student loan Payments) Utilities All the basics you need tosurvive in the 21^(st) century (Water, Cable, Mobile, Gas & ElectricBills) Give Donations Giving to a good cause (Charities, Organizations,Causes) Gifts It's the thought that counts (Presents to Family, Friends& Neighbors) SAVE Save Save Deposit, Withdrawal, Interest, Etc. (SavingsAccounts Only) EARN Earn Income Taxes Expenses & Reimbursements BusinessExpenses & Reimbursements OTHER Skip Account Transfers Transfers betweenaccounts Payments Payments to accounts you have already linked

Act 210 may, in some embodiments, involve not only assigning asuper-category, a category and a sub-category to the transaction (inaccordance with the scheme set forth in Table 1), but also furtheridentifying an associated merchant and brand. For example, for atransaction assigned to the “money out” super-category, “spend”category, and “goods and services” sub-category, the merchant may be thebusiness from which the user purchased the goods or services, and thebrand may be the brand of goods or services purchased.

Process 200 then proceeds to act 220, wherein the current transaction iscompared to previous transactions performed by the user. The previoustransactions may have occurred over any suitable period. For example,the previous transactions may have occurred during the same day, duringthe previous week, month, quarter, year, and/or other suitable timeperiod. In some embodiments, the amount of the current transaction maybe compared to a mean and/or median amount of the previous transactionsoccurring during the identified period having the same merchant and/orbrand as the current transaction. The result of the comparison may be anamount and/or percentage by which the current transaction amount exceedsor is less than the mean and/or median transaction amount over theidentified time period for the identified merchant and/or brand.

Process 200 then proceeds to act 230, wherein the current transaction iscompared to the user's previous projections of spending amounts. Thesespending amounts may have been projected to occur over any suitable timeperiod. For example, the projected spending amounts may have beenplanned to occur over the current day, during the next week, month,quarter, year, and/or other suitable time period. The spending amountsmay also relate to particular combinations of super-categories,categories, and sub-categories. For example, a projected spending amountmay indicate an amount the user intended to spend in the “money out”super-category, “spend” category, and “restaurants and bars”sub-category over the next month. Using this example to illustrate, theamount of the current transaction may be compared to the projectedamount for the next month for this super-category, category, andsub-category combination. The result of the comparison may be an amountand/or percentage by which the current transaction amount exceeds or isless than the projected spending amount for the identified period forthe identified super-category, category, and sub-category combination.

A summary of some typical comparisons which may be performed in acts220-230, and the results of those comparisons, is shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Comparison Summary. Transaction Category Comparison Result TimePeriod Transaction %/$ Above Mean/Median D/W/M/Q/Y Merchant %/$ BelowMean/Median D/W/M/Q/Y Brand %/$ Above Projected Spend D/W/M/Q/YSub-Category %/$ Below Projected Spend D/W/M/Q/Y Category %/$ BelowProjected Spend D/W/M/Q/Y Super-Category %/$ Below Projected SpendD/W/M/Q/Y

Process 200 then proceeds to act 240, wherein any rules which areactivated by the result of the comparisons performed in acts 220-230 areidentified. Rules may, for example, be predefined, or may be defineddynamically. Some representative rules are set forth in Table 3.

TABLE 3 Comparison Summary. Group Rule Category Rule ActivationIndication A 1 Sub Category Actual > Typical Transaction exceedsprojected spending in sub- category for specified time period. A 2Merchant Actual > Typical Transaction exceeds mean/median amount overspecified time period. B 3 Transaction Actual > Typical Transactionexceeds mean/median amount over specified time period. B 4 Sub CategoryActual <= Typical Transaction is less than or equal to projectedspending in sub-category for specified time period. C 5 Merchant Actual<= Typical Transaction is less than or equal to mean/median amount overspecified time period. C 6 Transaction Actual <= Typical Transaction isless than or equal to mean/median amount over specified time period.

As Table 3 indicates, in this example, each rule is assigned to a group.In act 250, rules that were activated in act 240 are prioritized, acrossand within groups. A representative procedure for prioritizing rules isset forth in Table 4.

TABLE 4 Representative Rule Prioritization Scheme. Step Logic 1 Selectactivated rule(s) which are associated with “highest” group, with groupA being the highest group, and group C being the lowest group 2A If thehighest group is group A, then select the rule with the greatestassociated difference between the actual transaction amount and thetypical transaction amount 2B If the highest group is group B, thenselect rule 3 over rule 4 2C if the highest group is group C, thenselect the rule with the lowest associated difference between the actualtransaction amount and the typical transaction amount

Process 200 then proceeds to act 260, wherein feedback associated withthe rule determined to have the highest priority is shown to the user,and process 200 then completes.

One example of the types of feedback which may be displayed to a user,as part of a “receipt” for the transaction that may be displayed by theuser's mobile device, is shown in FIG. 3. In this example, feedbackportion 310 of receipt 300 indicates that the user spent $890.12 at themerchant “Vodaphone” in the last month, and as a result that rule 2 inTable 3 was activated, and that either rule 2 had a greater associateddifference (not shown) between the transaction amount (shown at 320) andthe typical transaction amount (also not shown) than the differenceassociated with rule 1, or that rule 1 was not activated.

Receipt 300 may include categorization section 330, which indicates thesub-category to which the transaction was assigned in act 210 of process200 (FIG. 2). In some embodiments of the invention, the user may updatethe sub-category, category and/or super-category by supplying input(e.g., touch input) to the mobile device. For example, the user maychange the transaction from the “shopping” sub-category under the“spend” category to the “home” sub-category under the “live” category.In some embodiments of the invention, if the user changes thesub-category, category and/or super-category of the transaction, acts220-260 of process 200 may be repeated, to display new feedback to theuser, if appropriate.

Although not shown in FIG. 3, in some embodiments, a receipt may includeinsights which place the transaction into a longer-term context. Forexample, if a receipt is associated with a purchase transaction, then itmay indicate that as a result of the transaction, the user has $X leftto spend that week in a particular category to stay on budget. If thereceipt is for a savings transaction, then it may indicate that theamount saved is less than the typical amount saved on a weekly basis,and as a result, the user may need to save extra money each remainingweek in the month to stay on track to achieve savings goals.

It should be appreciated that by providing timely feedback on individualtransactions, embodiments of the invention may bring to the user'sattention those behaviors which may jeopardize her long-term financialwell-being, and/or encourage behavior that strengthens her financialwell-being over time.

It should also be appreciated that embodiments of the invention are notlimited to comparing a transaction to previous transactions performed bythe same user, as some embodiments of the invention may supportpeer-to-peer comparisons. For example, a purchase transaction of $75 bya first user at a particular restaurant may initiate a comparison withpurchase transactions performed by other users, which may lead to thefirst user being notified that other users typically spend $60 onaverage at the same restaurant, or that other users typically spend 10%less at another, higher-rated restaurant serving the same cuisine andlocated a block away. This insight may alter the first user's futuredecisions regarding dining out.

It should further be appreciated that embodiments of the invention arenot limited to providing feedback in response to a transaction which hasalready occurred. For example, some embodiments of the invention mayenable users to identify a transaction she is contemplating, to allowthe user to understand the proposed transaction's effect on herfinances. For example, a user may indicate that she is consideringhaving dinner at a particular restaurant, and she may be notified of theamount that other users typically spend at that restaurant, or thatanother, higher-rated restaurant nearby is offering promotionaldiscounts to new customers which could lead her to spend less on dinner.

In this respect, some embodiments of the invention may permit offeringlocation-based and/or event-based discounts to users. For example, if auser makes a $5 purchase at a first coffee shop, then a coupon may besent to the user which allows her to purchase the same drink for $4 at adifferent coffee shop down the street. Alternatively, the user mayreceive a notification that the first coffee shop is thankful to havethe user as a customer, and offers loyalty points which enable the userto purchase a free coffee every fifth visit. Offers such as these may beaccompanied by other feedback which encourages positive financialbehavior. For example, the user may be encouraged to take the money thatshe would have spent on coffee if she hadn't received the offer anddirect it toward her savings.

Some embodiments of the invention may provide for evaluating promotionaloffers received from multiple merchants, to identify the best deal forthe user. For example, if the user indicates that she is about to make apurchase, and becomes eligible for one or more promotional offers as aresult, these offers may be assessed to identify the one which resultsin the user spending the least amount of money and/or represents apurchase which most closely aligns with her preferences, which may beexpressed by the user and/or gleaned from previous financial activity.

III. Intermediate-Level Interaction

Interaction with the user at the intermediate level may includeproviding an analysis of how transactions performed or contemplated nowaffect the user's finances over a more extended period, such as inrelation to a monthly budget. For example, in some embodiments, theuser's spending in previous months may be analyzed to model a “typical”or “predicted” month, and activity occurring during the present monthmay be analyzed to determine whether it causes the user to deviate froma typical or predicted month's activity. If so, the user may be informedof the effects of the activity on her monthly and longer-term plans.

FIG. 4 depicts a representative process 400 for comparing the user'scurrent financial activity to the user's “typical” or “predicted”financial activity. In this example, the user's current and typicalfinancial activity are over a “calendar” month (e.g., the month of June,September, etc.), but it should be appreciated that embodiments of theinvention are not limited to such an implementation. For example, auser's current and typical financial activity may be over a calendarweek, quarter, and/or year, or a number of days preceding the currentday, such as the prior week, the prior month (e.g., the last 30 days),the prior quarter, etc. Any suitable time period(s), beginning andending on any suitable date, may be used. Various statistical andeconometric techniques may be used to further refine projectedtransactional activities to improve the accuracy and confidence of“predicted” behaviors. In some instances where the customertransactional history is limited, typical or predicted behaviors may bederived using socially sourced peer comparison data.

At the start of process 400, the user's financial activity during thecurrent day is to identified and aggregated in act 410. This may beperformed in any one of numerous ways. In some embodiments, theclassification scheme set forth in Table 1 may be used to classifytransactions performed by the user, and transactions in the “save”super-category, and in the “money out” super-category within the“spend,” “live” and “give” categories may be identified. Activity withinthe “spend,” “live” and “give” categories may be further classified intosub-categories as shown in Table 1. In some embodiments, thetransactions within each super-category, category and sub-category maybe summed to yield the user's categorized financial activity for thecurrent day.

In act 420, the user's calendar month-to-date financial activity isidentified and aggregated. This, too, may be performed in any one ofnumerous ways. For example, the transactions within thesuper-categories, categories and sub-categories for which transactionswere identified and aggregated in act 410 may be summed for all of thedays from the first day of the current calendar month through thecurrent day to yield the user's month-to-date financial activity.

In act 430, the user's typical financial activity for similar periods isidentified. In this respect, a “similar” period may be defined in anyone of several ways. For example, using one approach, the datesrepresented in the financial activity identified in acts 410 and 420 maybe used as a basis for identifying financial activity for similarperiods. For example, if the financial activity identified in acts 410and 420 represents activity occurring from the 1^(st) through the14^(th) of a particular month, then identifying the user's typicalfinancial activity for similar periods may involve evaluating activityoccurring from the 1^(st) through the 14^(th) of one or more priormonths.

Other approaches are also possible. Using one alternative approach, theday of week and week(s) of month represented in the financial activityidentified in acts 410 and 420 may be used as a basis for identifyingfinancial activity for similar periods. For example, if the financialactivity identified in acts 410 and 420 represents activity occurringfrom the first Monday through the second Friday of a particular month,then identifying the user's typical financial activity for similarperiods may involve evaluating activity occurring from the first Mondaythrough the second Friday of one or more prior months. Using anotheralternative approach, recurring transactions which occur on or around aspecific day of the month within the calendar period represented in thefinancial activity identified in acts 410 and 420 may be identified, andthen the remaining, non-recurring transactions may be identified usinganother approach (e.g., by using the dates represented in the financialactivity identified in acts 410 and 420 as a basis for identifying thenon-recurring transactions, by using the day of week and week(s) ofmonth represented in the financial activity identified in acts 410 and420 as a basis for identifying the non-recurring transactions, or byusing an altogether different approach).

Although any one of numerous approaches may be used, the description ofprocess 400 that follows assumes that the dates represented in thefinancial activity identified in acts 410 and 420 are used as a basisfor identifying financial activity for similar periods.

Act 430 may also involve identifying prior periods in which the amountof activity supports a valid comparison with the current financialactivity. In some embodiments, the prior periods which are identified tosupport comparisons of savings activity may not necessarily be the sameas those prior periods which are identified to support comparisons ofspending activity. For example, in some embodiments, the prior period(s)which are identified to support a comparison of spending activity mayinclude the month(s) which begin with the first month for which theprior month's transactions in the “earn” super-category in Table 1 aregreater than zero, and the prior period(s) which are identified tosupport a comparison of savings activity may include the month(s) whichbegin with the first month for which the prior month's transactions inthe “save” super-category in Table 1 are greater than zero. Of course,embodiments of the invention are not limited to being implemented inthis manner, as any suitable period(s) may be selected to providespending and/or savings activity, in any suitable manner. For example,all prior months for which any spending and/or savings data exist mayinstead be used as a basis for comparison.

Given that some months have a different numbers of days than othermonths, some embodiments may provide for creating a construct to supportvalid comparisons of daily and month-to-date financial activity. Forexample, if the current day is the 31^(st) of the month, then aconstruct may be created which represents the 31^(st) of the month inprevious months (even those which do not include thirty-one days), andwhich represents month-to-date activity through the 31^(st) of the monthin previous months (even those which do not include thirty-one days).This may be performed in any of several ways. In some embodiments of theinvention, in months which have fewer than thirty-one days, the activityoccurring on the last day of the month is repeated for each successiveday until the total number of days represented in the construct equalsthirty-one. For example, for the month of June, which has thirty days,the activity occurring on June 30 may repeated to represent the activityoccurring on the fictitious day of June 31^(st). As a result,embodiments of the invention support valid comparisons of daily andmonth-to-date financial activity across months having a different numberof days.

In some embodiments, the transactions for the days corresponding to thecurrent day in the identified prior periods, and the transactions forthe month-to-date periods corresponding to the current month-to-dateperiod in the identified prior periods, for the super-categories,categories and sub-categories for which transactions were identified inaggregated in act 410, may be averaged to yield the user's typical dayand typical month-to-date financial activity. Of course, embodiments ofthe invention are not limited to using the average transaction amount asa typical amount, as other approaches are possible. For example, amedian transaction amount, peer comparison data, or more advancedstatistical and econometric techniques may instead be used.

Process 400 then proceeds to act 440, wherein the user's current andtypical “path” are determined. This determination may be performed inany one of several ways. For example, in some embodiments, the user'scurrent and typical month-to-date totals, for each of thesuper-categories, categories and sub-categories for which transactionswere identified in aggregated in act 410, may be plotted in a Cartesiancoordinate system, wherein the “x” coordinate is the date of the currentmonth, and the “y” coordinate is a current or typical month-to-datetotal. The plots of current and typical activity for thesuper-categories, categories and sub-categories for which transactionswere identified in aggregated in act 410, or for a subset thereof, aredisplayed to the user in act 450.

As an example, FIG. 5 depicts a coordinate system 500 which illustratesa comparison between the user's current and typical monthly spendingactivity. In coordinate system 500, the dates of the current month arereflected on the x-axis, and the total amount spent is reflected on they-axis. Thus, line 510 indicates the user's total spending activity asthe month progresses, and extends to line 515, which represents thepoint representing the current day on the x-axis. The user's typicalspending activity is represented by line 520, which extends to point 540at month-end. Line 525 represents the user's spending if continued fromthe current day to the end of the month at its present trajectory. Itcan be seen that the user's spending extends to point 530 at month'send. An illustration of this type may assist the user in recognizing howeveryday transactions add up over time, and can cause her to exceedbudgeted monthly spending amounts. As such, it may cause the user toalter her thinking in relation to future financial activity, and enableher to take corrective action to put herself back on track. For example,a user to which the illustration of FIG. 5 is shown may recognize thather current spending trajectory will take her “above” point 540 on thegraph, and may curtail her spending over the rest of the month so thather total spending approximates the budgeted amount.

The coordinate system of FIG. 5 represents merely one form of feedbackthat may be presented to a user, as a comparison between current andtypical daily or month-to-date activity may yield numerous insightswhich may be useful to the user. As one example, a comparison performedby the user of her current month-to-date spending in the “restaurantsand bars” sub-category to her typical month's spending in the samesub-category may indicate that, for example, she has spent much more inthe current month than in typical previous months, which may encourageher to dine out less frequently for the remainder of the month. Inanother example, a comparison performed by the user of her typicalmonthly spending to her peers may encourage the user to contemplatetargeting a lower typical monthly spend going forward.

Feedback may also come in the form of promotional offers or discounts.For example, if an analysis of current and typical month-to-date savingsactivity indicates that the user may be saving for a major purchase(perhaps the user has a savings fund set aside, called “new TV”), thenpromotional offers may be presented which include coupons forelectronics purchases at specific retailers. If an analysis of currentand typical month-to-date spending activity suggest that the user may beaccumulating credit card debt, then promotional offers for balancetransfers and/or refinancing may be presented. Any of numerous types offeedback which encourage positive financial behavior and/or providetools to achieve the lifestyle the user wants without jeopardizing herlong-term financial wellness may be provided.

Some embodiments of the invention may also provide for assessing thepace of different types of month-to-date financial activity in relationto the pace of activity during comparable month-to-date periods. Forexample, a comparison between the current and typical month-to-datespending may give the user a sense whether she should reduce herspending to stay within her monthly budget. Similarly, a comparisonbetween current and typical month-to-date saving may give the user asense whether she is on track to achieve savings goals for the currentmonth.

A representative process 600 for assessing the pace of a user's spendingactivity is shown in FIG. 6, and a representative process 700 forassessing the pace of a user's saving activity is shown in FIG. 7.Referring initially to FIG. 6, at the start of representative process600, the user's current and typical month-to-date financial activity inthe “spend” and “live” categories in the “money out” super-category(Table 1) is determined in act 610. Of course, in other embodiments,transactions in different super-categories, categories and/orsub-categories may be used to determine the user's spending activity.

Determination of the user's current month-to-date financial activity maybe determined much like as in act 320 of process 300, whereintransactions within each of the “spend” and “live” categories from thefirst day of the current calendar month through the current day of thecalendar month are summed. Similarly, typical month-to-date financialactivity may be determined much like as in act 330, wherein theperiod(s) to be used for comparison are identified (e.g., using thetechniques described above), the transactions for each of the “spend”and “live” categories which occurred within the identified period(s) aresummed, and then the average of the summed totals are calculated todetermine the typical month-to-date activity for each category.

Process 600 then proceeds to act 620, wherein a determination is madewhether the current month-to-date financial activity for one of thecategories given above (e.g., the “spend” category) is less than zero.If so, process 600 proceeds to act 625, wherein a determination is madewhether the typical month-to-date activity for the category is less thanzero. If so, the pace of the user's current month-to-date activity inthe category relative to her typical month-to-date activity in thecategory is calculated in act 627 using formula (1), below:

Pace=1−((Current month-to-date activity)/(Typical month-to-dateactivity))  (1)

If it is determined in act 625 that the typical month-to-date financialactivity for the category is not less than zero, then process 600proceeds to act 630. At this point, the user's typical month-to-dateactivity for the category has been established as being greater than orequal to zero (since it was determined to not be less than zero in act625). Given this, in act 630 the pace of the user's currentmonth-to-date activity in the category relative to her typicalmonth-to-date activity in the category is set as zero.

If it was determined in act 620 that the current month-to-date financialactivity for the category is not less than or equal to zero, thenprocess 600 proceeds to act 635, wherein a determination is made whetherthe current month-to-date financial activity for the category is equalto zero. If so, process 600 proceeds to act 640, wherein a determinationis made whether the typical month-to-date activity for the category isless than zero. If so, the pace of the user's current month-to-dateactivity in the category relative to her typical month-to-date activityis calculated using formula (1), above.

If it is determined in act 640 that the typical month-to-date activityfor the category is not less than zero, then process 600 proceeds to act645, wherein a determination is made whether the typical month-to-dateactivity for the category is equal to zero. If so, the pace of theuser's current month-to-date activity in the category relative to hertypical month-to-date activity is defined as 1.

If it is determined in act 645 that the typical month-to-date activityfor the category is not equal to zero, then it is known that the user'stypical month-to-date activity for the category is greater than zero(since it was determined in act 640 to not be less than zero, and in act645 to not be equal to zero). Given this, the pace of the user's currentmonth-to-date activity in the category relative to her typicalmonth-to-date activity is set in act 650 as 0.

If it was determined in act 635 that the current month-to-date financialactivity for the category is not equal to zero, then it is known thatthe current month-to-date financial activity for the category must begreater than zero (since it was determined to not be less than zero inact 620, and not equal to zero in act 635). Process 600 proceeds to act655, wherein a determination is made whether the typical month-to-dateactivity for the category is less than zero. If so, the pace of theuser's current month-to-date activity in the category relative to hertypical month-to-date activity in the category is calculated in act 657using formula (2), below:

Pace=((Current month-to-date activity)−(Typical month-to-dateactivity))/|(Current month-to-date activity)|  (2)

If it is determined in act 655 that the typical month-to-date financialactivity for the category is not less than zero, then the processproceeds to act 660, wherein a determination is made whether the typicalmonth-to-date activity for the category is equal to zero. If so, thepace of the user's current month-to-date activity in the categoryrelative to her typical month-to-date activity in the category isdefined in act as a maximum pace.

If it is determined in act 660 that the typical month-to-date financialactivity for the category is not equal to zero, then the typicalmonth-to-date activity for the category is known to be greater than zero(since it was determined to not be less than zero in act 655, and notequal to zero in act 660), and the pace of the user's currentmonth-to-date activity in the category relative to her typicalmonth-to-date activity in the category is calculated in act 665 usingformula (3), below:

Pace=(Current month-to-date activity)/(Typical month-to-dateactivity)  (3)

Process 600 then completes for the selected category. It may be repeatedfor another category (e.g., for the “live” category, if the stepsdescribed above were performed for the “spend” category), if necessary.

Representative process 700, for assessing the pace of a user's savingactivity, is shown in FIG. 7. At the start of process 700, the user'scurrent and typical month-to-date savings activity are determined in act710. As with act 610 described above, this may be performed in any oneof several ways. For example, current month-to-date savings activity maybe determined in much the same way as in act 420 of process 400, whereinsavings transactions from the first day of the current calendar monththrough the current day of the calendar month are summed.

Similarly, typical month-to-date savings activity may be determined inmuch the same ways as in act 430, wherein the period(s) to be used forcomparison are identified, the savings transactions which occurredwithin the identified period(s) are summed, and the average of thesummed totals are calculated to determine the typical month-to-datesavings activity.

Process 700 then proceeds to act 720, wherein a determination is madewhether the current month-to-date savings activity is less than zero. Ifso, process 700 proceeds to act 725, wherein a determination is madewhether the typical month-to-date savings activity is less than zero. Ifso, the pace of the user's current month-to-date activity in thecategory relative to her typical month-to-date activity in the categoryis calculated using formula (4), below:

Pace=I+(((Current month-to-date activity)−(Typical month-to-dateactivity))/|(Current month-to-date activity))  (4)

If it is determined in act 725 that the typical month-to-date savingsactivity is not less than zero, then process 700 proceeds to act 730. Atthis point, the user's typical month-to-date activity for the categoryis known to be greater than or equal to zero (since it was determined tonot be less than zero in act 725). Given this, the pace of the user'scurrent month-to-date savings activity relative to her typicalmonth-to-date savings activity is set in act 730 as zero.

If it was determined in act 720 that the current month-to-date financialactivity for the category is not less than or equal to zero, thenprocess 700 proceeds to act 735, wherein a determination is made whetherthe current month-to-date savings activity is equal to zero. If so,process 700 proceeds to act 740, wherein a determination is made whetherthe typical month-to-date savings activity is less than zero. If so, thepace of the user's current month-to-date savings activity relative toher typical month-to-date savings activity is calculated using formula(4), above.

If it is determined in act 740 that the typical month-to-date savingsactivity is not less than zero, then process 700 proceeds to act 745,wherein a determination is made whether the typical month-to-datesavings activity is equal to zero. If so, the pace of the user's currentmonth-to-date savings activity relative to her typical month-to-datesavings activity is set in act 747 as 1.

If it is determined in act 745 that the typical month-to-date savingsactivity is not equal to zero, then process 700 proceeds to act 750. Atthis point, the user's typical month-to-date savings activity is knownto be greater than zero (since it was determined in act 740 to not beless than zero, and in act 745 to not be equal to zero). Given this, thepace of the user's current month-to-date savings activity relative toher typical month-to-date savings activity is defined as 0.

If it was determined in act 735 that the current month-to-date savingsactivity is not equal to zero, then it is known that the currentmonth-to-date savings activity must be greater than zero (since it wasdetermined to not be less than zero in act 720, and not equal to zero inact 735). Process 700 proceeds to act 755, wherein a determination ismade whether the typical month-to-date savings activity is less thanzero. If so, the pace of the user's current month-to-date savingsactivity relative to her typical month-to-date savings activity iscalculated using formula (5), below:

Pace=((Current month-to-date activity)−(Typical month-to-dateactivity))/|(Current month-to-date activity)|  (5)

If it is determined in act 755 that the typical month-to-date savingsactivity is not less than zero, then the process proceeds to act 760,wherein a determination is made whether the typical month-to-datesavings activity is equal to zero. If so, the pace of the user's currentmonth-to-date savings activity is defined in act 762 as being at amaximum pace relative to her typical month-to-date savings activity.

If it is determined in act 760 that the typical month-to-date savingsactivity is not equal to zero, then the process proceeds to act 765.Given that the typical month-to-date savings activity is greater thanzero (since it was determined to not be less than zero in act 755, andnot equal to zero in act 760), the pace of the user's currentmonth-to-date savings activity relative to her typical month-to-datesavings activity is calculated in act 765 using formula (7), below:

Pace=(Current month-to-date activity)/(Typical month-to-dateactivity)  (6)

Process 700 then completes.

The results produced by performing representative processes 600 and 700may be used in any one of numerous ways. In some embodiments of theinvention, the pace of the user's spending or savings activity may bedepicted graphically, so as to provide the user with aneasy-to-understand representation of how her current spending or savingpace compares with her typical pace. For example, in some embodiments, atachometer-like representation may be shown to the user. For spendingactivity pace, a “green” reading may indicate that the user's currentspending pace is reasonable relative to her typical spending pace, a“yellow” reading may indicate that her current spending pace is near orslightly above her typical spending pace, indicating that she may wishto “slow down” to stay within budgeted levels, and a “red” reading mayindicate that her current spending pace exceeds her typical spendingpace, indicating that she may want to “stop” before far exceeding herbudgeted spending levels. Conversely, for savings activity pace, a“green” reading may indicate that the user's current savings pace isreasonable relative to her typical savings pace, a “yellow” reading mayindicate that her current spending pace is at or slightly below hertypical pace, indicating that she may want to “speed up” her savingsrate to meet her monthly goals, and a “red” reading may indicate thather current savings pace is well below her typical pace.

FIG. 8 shows a representative process 800 which may be performed todetermine where on a tachometer encompassing an overall range of 270degrees the “needle” should be placed to represent the user's currentspending pace relative to her typical spending pace. In this example,the “green” reading upper bound is set at 150 degrees on the tachometer,the “yellow” reading upper bound is set at 190 degrees, and the “red”reading upper bound is set at 270 degrees.

In act 810, a determination is made whether the result of process 600(i.e., the user's relative spending pace) is associated with a “green,”“yellow” or “red” reading. In this example, a result of 0.0 through 0.9is associated with a “green” reading (so that the “green” readingencompasses a range of 0.9), a result of greater than 0.9 and less than1.1 is associated with a “yellow” reading (so that the “yellow” readingencompasses a range of 0.2), and a result of greater than 1.1 and lessthan 1.5 is associated with a “red” reading (so that the “red” readingencompasses a range of 0.4). However, it should be appreciated that anysuitable numerical range may be associated with any readings.

If it is determined in act 810 that the result is associated with a“green” reading, then process 800 proceeds to act 820, wherein thenumber of degrees at which the tachometer needle resides is calculatedas follows:

-   -   (a) divide the result of process 600 by the range encompassed by        the “green” reading:    -   (b) multiply the result of (a) by the number of degrees at the        upper bound of the “green” reading; and    -   (c) round the result of (c) to the nearest multiple of ten.

For example, if the result of process 600 is 0.75, then the number ofdegrees at which the tachometer needle should reside is(0.75/0.9×150=125, rounded to the nearest multiple of ten=130). Thus, inthis example, the result of process 600 of 0.75 would yield a tachometerneedle at 130 degrees.

If it is determined in act 810 that the result is associated with a“yellow” reading, then process 800 proceeds to act 830, wherein thenumber of degrees at which the tachometer needle resides is calculatedas follows:

-   -   (a) subtract the range encompassed by the “green” reading from        the result of process 600;    -   (b) divide the result of (a) by the range encompassed by the        “yellow” reading;    -   (c) multiply the result of (b) by the difference between the        number of degrees at the upper bound of the “green” reading and        the number of degrees at the upper bound of the “yellow”        reading; and    -   (d) add to the result of (c) the number of degrees at the upper        bound of the “green” reading; and    -   (e) round the result to the nearest multiple of ten.

For example, if the result of process 600 is 1.05, then the number ofdegrees at which the tachometer needle sits is((1.05−0.9)/0.2×40)+150=160, rounded to the nearest multiple of ten=160.Thus, in this example, the result of process 600 of 1.05 would yield atachometer needle residing at 150 degrees.

If it is determined in act 810 that the result is associated with a“red” reading, then process 800 proceeds to act 840, wherein the numberof degrees at which the tachometer needle sits is calculated as follows:

-   -   (a) subtract the range encompassed by the “yellow” reading from        the result of process 600;    -   (b) divide the result of (a) by the difference between the range        encompassed by the “red” reading and the range encompassed by        the “yellow” reading;    -   (c) multiply the result of (b) by the difference between the        “red” range upper bound and the “yellow” range upper bound;    -   (d) add to the result of (c) the number of degrees at the upper        bound of the “yellow” reading; and    -   (e) round the result of (d) to the nearest multiple of ten.

For example, if the result of process 600 is 1.2, then the number ofdegrees at which the tachometer sits is ((1.2−1.1)/0.4×40)+190=200,rounded to the nearest multiple of ten=200. Thus, in this example, theresult of process 600 of 1.2 would yield a tachometer needle residing at200 degrees.

At the completion of act 820, 830 or 840, process 800 completes.

An illustration representing a comparison between a user's currentspending pace relative to her typical spending pace is shown in FIG. 9.In general, the illustration resembles a tachometer, and may indicate tothe user whether her current pace of spending puts her in “green” area910, “yellow” area 920 or “red” area 930 relative to her typicalspending pace. In the example shown, “green” area 910 extends from 0° onthe tachometer to 150°, the “yellow” area extends from 150° to 190°, andthe “red” area 930 extends from 190 to 270°. Needle 940 is placed at anumber of degrees calculated above in the process of FIG. 8.Specifically, in the example shown, needle 940 resides in the “green”area 910, indicating that the number of degrees to which the head ofneedle 940 points is calculated in act 820 of process 800, indicatingthat the pace of the user's spending activity in the current month isreasonable relative to her typical spending activity. Had the user'scurrent spending pace been greater than her typical spending pace, thehead of needle 940 might have pointed toward a location in the “yellow”or “red” area.

FIG. 10 shows a representative process 1000 which may be performed todetermine where on a tachometer encompassing an overall range of 270degrees the “needle” should reside to represent the user's currentsavings pace relative to her typical savings pace. In this example, the“red” reading upper bound is set at 90 degrees on the tachometer, the“yellow” reading upper bound is set at 130 degrees, and the “green”reading upper bound is set at 270 degrees.

In act 1010, a determination is made whether the result of process 700(i.e., the user's relative pace of savings activity) is associated witha “green,” “yellow” or “red” reading. In this example, a result of 0.0through 0.75 is associated with a “red” reading (so that the “red”reading encompasses a range of 0.75), a result of greater than 0.75 andless than 0.95 is associated with a “yellow” reading (so that the“yellow” reading encompasses a range of 0.2), and a result of greaterthan 0.95 and less than 1.5 is associated with a “green” reading (sothat the “green” reading encompasses a range of 0.55). However, itshould be appreciated that any suitable numerical range may beassociated with any associated reading.

If it is determined in act 1010 that the result is associated with a“red” reading, then process 1000 proceeds to act 1020, wherein thenumber of degrees at which the tachometer needle resides is calculatedas follows:

-   -   (a) divide the result of process 700 by the range encompassed by        the “red” reading;    -   (b) multiply the result of (a) by 90; and    -   (c) round the result of (b) to two significant digits.

For example, if the result of process 700 is 0.5, then the number ofdegrees at which the tachometer needle should reside is (0.5/0.75×90=60,rounded to two significant digits=60). Thus, in this example, the resultof process 700 of 0.5 would yield a tachometer needle at 60 degrees.

If it is determined in act 1010 that the result is associated with a“yellow” reading, then process 1000 proceeds to act 1030, wherein thenumber of degrees at which the tachometer needle resides is calculatedas follows:

-   -   (a) subtract 0.75 from the result of process 700;    -   (b) divide the result of (a) by the range encompassed by the        “yellow” reading;    -   (c) multiply the result of (b) by the difference between the        number of degrees at the upper bound of the “yellow” reading and        the number of degrees at the upper bound of the “red” reading;        and    -   (d) add 90 to the result of (c); and    -   (e) round the result to two significant digits.

For example, if the result of process 700 is 0.9, then the number ofdegrees at which the tachometer needle sits is((0.9−0.75)/0.2×30)+90=110, rounded to two significant digits=110. Thus,in this example, the result of process 700 of 0.9 would yield atachometer needle residing at 110 degrees.

If it is determined in act 1010 that the result is associated with a“green” reading, then process 1000 proceeds to act 1040, wherein thenumber of degrees at which the tachometer needle sits is calculated asfollows:

-   -   (a) determine the minimum of        -   (i) the difference between the upper bound of the “green”            range and the upper bound of the “yellow” range;        -   (ii) the difference between the result of process 700 and            the upper bound of the “yellow” range;    -   (b) divide the result of (a) by the difference between the range        encompassed by the “green” reading and the range encompassed by        the “yellow” reading;    -   (c) multiply the result of (b) by the difference between the        “green” range upper bound and the “yellow” range upper bound;    -   (d) add to the result of (c) the number of degrees at the upper        bound of the “yellow” reading; and    -   (e) round the result of (d) to two significant digits.

For example, if the result of process 700 is 1.2, then the result of (a)is 0.25 (i.e., 1.2−0.95, which is less than 1.5-0.95), and the number ofdegrees at which the tachometer sits is ((1.2−0.95)/0.4×140)+130,rounded to the nearest multiple of ten=220. Thus, in this example, theresult of process 700 of 1.2 would yield a tachometer needle residing at220 degrees.

At the completion of act 1020, 1030 or 1040, process 1000 completes.

FIG. 11 depicts an illustration which represents a user's currentsavings pace relative to her typical savings pace. Like the illustrationshown in FIG. 9, FIG. 11 resembles a tachometer which indicates theuser's savings pace through the placement of needle 1140 in “red” area1110, “yellow” area 1120, or “green” area 1130. In this example, needle1140 sits in the “red” area 1110, indicating that the user's currentpace of savings is slower than her typical pace of savings pace, whichmay indicate to the user that she should increase her savings to stay ontrack to achieve her savings goals.

III. High-Level Interaction

Some embodiments of the invention may provide a user with an indicationof her overall financial well-being, such as in the form of a score.Such a score may, for example, reflect the user's ability to sustainsavings levels and/or increase her net worth over time. Providing theuser an indication of her overall financial well-being may encourage herto behave in ways that promote her financial well-being. In addition,some embodiments of the invention may enable users to earn “points”and/or other indicia as a result of attaining a particular financialwellness score. The user may, for example, redeem the points/otherindicia for rewards, discounts, etc., which contribute to financialwellness. As such, by engaging in positive financial behavior, the usermay receive rewards which further bolster her financial well-being,which may in turn lead to increases in her financial wellness score. Avirtuous financial cycle may therefore be initiated, and continue overtime.

A financial wellness score may be calculated in any one of numerousways. In some embodiments of the invention, a financial wellness scoreis defined on a 100-point scale, with forty points being awarded as aresult of providing baseline profile information and interacting withthe service, and sixty points being awarded as a result of engaging inpositive financial behavior. Of course, any suitable scale may be used,which may apportion points contributing to an overall score in anysuitable way.

A representative baseline data scoring scheme is illustrated below. Inthis example, a user is awarded a maximum of thirty points for providingthe information specified in Table 5, and a maximum of ten points forproviding information on social networks to which the user belongs andinteracting with the service in Table 6. Of course, other schemes arepossible. Alternative schemes may involve awarding more or less thanforty points total for baseline data, may include criteria for awardingpoints which are different than those listed below, and/or may award adifferent number of points for each criterion.

TABLE 5 User Information Customer Profile Required Points Notes FirstName ✓ 2.5 Last Name ✓ 2.5 Address ✓ 5.0 Check Against USPS ValidAddresses Apt Number City Valid US City Name (Searchable Drop Down List)State State Drop Down List Zip Code ✓ 5.0 Valid US ZIP Code Date ofBirth ✓ 5.0 Valid Birth Date Format Gender ✓ Male/Female HouseholdStatus ✓ Single, Couple, Single with Kids, Couple with Kids EmailAddress ✓ 5.0 Valid E-mail Format Phone Number ✓ 5.0 Valid US PhoneNumber Format Social Security Number Bank Valid US SSN Only NumberFormat Total 30

TABLE 6 Social Network Information; Level of Interaction. CustomerProfile Required Points Notes Facebook Network 0.5 Twitter Network 0.5LinkedIn Network 0.5 Klout/Peerindex 0.5 Influence Moven 2.0Tweets/Mentions/Likes Account Referrals 3.0 Unique P2P Transfers 3.0Total 10

As Table 6 illustrates, a baseline data scoring scheme may reward a userfor her involvement in social networks, for her regular engagement withthe service, and for making her connections on the social networks awareof that engagement. For example, a user may be rewarded for mentioningher use of the service in social network-based announcements (e.g.,“status updates,” “tweets” and/or other types of announcements),referral of the service to social network connections, and/or performingtransfers (e.g., of funds, points, etc.) to social network connections.

A representative financial behavior scoring scheme is shown below. Inthis example, a user is awarded a maximum of sixty points for engagingin positive behaviors termed “living within means,” “emergency fund,”“disciplined savings,” and “expense management.” Representativetechniques for determining the score that is awarded to a user for eachof these categories are described below. As with the scheme given abovefor awarding points for baseline data, other schemes are possible, andmay involve awarding more or less than sixty points total, may includecriteria for awarding points which are different than those listedbelow, and/or may award a different number of points for each criterion.

TABLE 7 Positive Financial Behavior. Financial Health Points NotesCredit Score FICO Debt Load Total Debt Debt Servicing Monthly PaymentsLiving within Means 15 Expenses to income Emergency Fund 15 SayingsBalance Information Disciplined Savings 15 Savings Rate ExpenseManagement 15 Spend Volatility Total 60

A representative process 1200 for calculating a number of points to beawarded to a user for the “living within means” category is shown inFIG. 12. At the start of process 1200, a determination is made in act1210 whether previous transaction data for the user is electronicallyaccessible. For example, if the user has not provided access to herfinancial accounts, then previous transaction data may be inaccessible.If it is determined in act 1210 that previous transaction data for theuser is not electronically accessible, then process 1200 proceeds to act1220, wherein a score for the category is calculated based oninformation, related to living within one's means, which is reported bythe user. Table 8 shows representative information which may becollected from the user, and a representative scheme for awarding pointsto each piece of information.

TABLE 8 Scoring of Self-Reported Information For “Living Within Means”Category. Information Points Notes What is your current monthly takehome pay? Do you spend less than this amount each month? 5 3 0 AlwaysSometimes Never Do you ever make impulsive purchases? 5 3 0 NeverSometimes Always Ever spend more than your credit limit or not pay 5 3 0Never Sometimes Always your credit card balance in full each month?Total 15

If it is determined in act 1210 that previous transaction data for theuser is electronically accessible, then process 1200 proceeds to act1230, wherein a score for the category is calculated based on that data.Specifically, act 1230 may involve calculating a “living with means”ratio, as follows:

-   -   (a) for each month after the first month having complete income        transaction data (e.g., having at least 2 income transactions        separated by at least 14 days), calculate the sum of all income        transactions;    -   (b) calculate the average of the 3 most recent months from the        result of (a);    -   (c) for each month represented in the result of (b), calculate        the total monthly expenses (e.g., the sum of transactions in the        “spend,” “live,” “give” and “taxes” categories) for the month;    -   (d) for each day of each month represented in the result of (b),        calculate the total daily expenses (e.g., the sum of        transactions in the “spend,” “live,” “give” and “taxes”        categories);    -   (e) calculate the average monthly expenses by taking the average        of the results in (c);    -   (f) calculate the average daily expenses by taking the average        of the results in (d);    -   (g) calculate the average monthly remaining income by        subtracting the average monthly expenses generated in (e) from        the average monthly income generated in (b);    -   (h) calculate the “delta” between the average daily expenses and        the total daily expenses, by subtracting the total daily        expenses generated in (d) from the average daily expenses        generated in (f);    -   (i) calculate the average daily remaining income for each month        by adding the average monthly remaining income calculated in (g)        and the delta calculated in (h);    -   (j) calculate the expense-to-income ratio by dividing the        average daily remaining income calculated in (i) by the average        income calculated in (b);    -   (k) if the expense-to-income ratio calculated in (j) is less        than or equal to zero, then add zero points to the financial        wellness score;    -   (l) if the expense-to-income ratio calculated in ( ) is greater        than 0.1, then add fifteen points to the financial wellness        score; and    -   (m) if the expense-to-income ratio calculated in (j) is greater        than zero but less than or equal to 0.1, then multiply the        expense-to-income ratio calculated in (j) by 150, and add the        result to the financial wellness score.

At the completion of act 1230, process 1200 ends.

A representative process 1300 for calculating a number of points to beawarded to a user for the “emergency fund” category is shown in FIG. 13.At the start of process 1300, a determination is made in act 1310whether previous transaction data for the user is electronicallyaccessible. If not, process 1300 proceeds to act 1320, wherein emergencyfund information is collected from the user. Table 9 showsrepresentative information which may be collected.

TABLE 9 Scoring of Self-Reported Information For “Emergency Fund”Category. Information Data Notes What is your current monthly ExactDollar Field take home pay? How much cash do you have in savings? ExactDollar Field

Process 1300 then proceeds to act 1330, wherein the ratio of the user'sself-reported emergency fund to the user's self-reported monthly takehome pay, and a number of “emergency fund” points to be awarded as aresult, are calculated. Specifically, act 1230 involves awarding“emergency fund” points as follows:

-   -   (a) if the ratio of emergency fund to monthly take home pay is        zero, add zero points to the financial wellness score;    -   (b) if the ratio of emergency fund to monthly take home pay is        greater than six, add fifteen points to the financial wellness        score; and    -   (c) if the ratio of emergency fund to monthly take home pay is        greater than zero and less than or equal to six, multiply the        ration by 2.5, and add the result to the financial wellness        score.

If it is determined in act 1310 that previous transaction data for theuser is electronically accessible, then process 1300 proceeds to act1340, wherein a score for the “emergency fund” category is calculatedbased on that data. Specifically, in act 1340, a score may be calculatedas follows:

-   -   (a) determine the user's total cash by calculating the sum of        the amounts in her checking account(s), savings account(s) and        money market account(s);    -   (b) calculate the user's emergency fund by subtracting from the        user's total cash calculated in (a) the sum of the average        monthly expenses calculated in step (e) of act 1230, and the        user's total daily expenses calculated in step (d) of act 1230;    -   (c) determine the emergency fund multiplier by dividing the        user's emergency fund calculated in (b) by the sum of the        average monthly expenses calculated in step (e) of act 1230;    -   (d) if the emergency fund multiplier is equal to zero, add zero        points to the financial wellness score;    -   (e) if the emergency fund multiplier is greater than six, add        fifteen points to the financial wellness score; and    -   (f) if the emergency fund multiplier is greater than zero and        less than or equal to six, calculate the product of the        emergency fund multiplier and 2.5, and add the result to the        financial wellness score.

At the completion of act 1340, process 1300 ends.

A representative process 1400 for calculating a number of points to beawarded to a user for the “disciplined savings” category is shown inFIG. 14. At the start of process 1400, a determination is made in act1410 whether previous transaction data for the user is electronicallyaccessible. If not, process 1400 proceeds to act 1420, wherein savingsinformation is collected from the user. Table 10 shows representativeinformation which may be collected.

TABLE 10 Self-Reported Information For “Disciplined Savings” Category.Information Data Notes What is your current monthly Exact Dollar Fieldtake home pay? Do you set aside money into Always Sometimes Neversavings every month? How much do you set aside Exact Dollar Field into asayings account each month?

Process 1400 then proceeds to act 1430, wherein a net savings multiplieris calculated, and a number of “disciplined savings” points to beawarded as a result, are calculated. Specifically, act 1230 involvesawarding “disciplined savings” points as follows:

-   -   (a) if the user's answer to the question regarding setting aside        savings each month is “always,” then calculate the net savings        multiplier by dividing the amount which the user indicates she        sets aside each month by the amount indicated by the user as her        monthly take home pay;    -   (b) if the user's answer to the question regarding setting aside        savings each month is “sometimes” then calculate the net savings        multiplier by multiplying the amount the user indicates she sets        aside each month by 0.5, and then dividing the result by the        amount indicated by the user as her monthly take home pay;    -   (c) if the user's answer to the question regarding setting aside        savings each month is “never,” then set the net savings        multiplier to zero;    -   (d) if the net savings multiplier is equal to zero, add zero        points to the financial wellness score;    -   (e) if the net savings multiplier is greater than 0.1, add        fifteen points to the financial wellness score; and    -   (f) if the net savings multiplier is greater than zero and less        than or equal to 0.1, multiply the net savings multiplier by        150, and add the result to the financial wellness score.

If it is determined in act 1410 that previous transaction data for theuser is accessible, then process 1400 proceeds to act 1440, wherein ascore for the “disciplined savings” category is calculated based on thatdata. Specifically, in act 1440, a score is calculated as follows:

-   -   (a) determine the new amount saved in each of the past six        months;    -   (b) determine the average new amount saved per month for the        past six months;    -   (c) multiply the number of months for which the new amount saved        is greater than zero by five;    -   (d) determine the standard deviation of the new amount saved        over each of the past six months (calculated in (a));    -   (e) subtract the average new amount saved per month for the past        six months (calculated in (b)) from the new amount saved in the        same month (calculated in (a));    -   (f) divide the result of the calculation in (e) by the result of        the calculation in (d), take the absolute value of the result,        and then multiply it by two;    -   (g) determine the maximum of:        -   (1) five minus the result of the calculation in (f); and        -   (2) zero;    -   (h) add the result of the calculation in (c) to the result of        the calculation in (g), and add the total to the financial        wellness score.

At the completion of act 1440, process 1400 ends.

A representative process 1500 for calculating a number of points to beawarded to a user for the “expense management” category is shown in FIG.15. Process 1500 assumes that previous transaction data for the user isaccessible.

At the start of process 1500, in act 1510, a score for the “expensemanagement” category is calculated, and added to the financial wellnessscore, as follows:

-   -   (a) determine the total daily expense, as indicated by        transactions in the “spend,” “live” and “give” categories, for        each day in the prior six months;    -   (b) determine the standard deviation of the total daily expense        calculated in (a);    -   (c) determine the average of the total daily expense, calculated        in (a), for each of the past six months;    -   (d) subtract the average total daily expense, calculated in (c),        from the total daily expense, calculated in (a);    -   (e) divide the result of the calculation in (d) by the standard        deviation of the total expense, calculated in (b), and multiply        the result by (−1);    -   (f) if the result of the calculation in (e) is less than (−1),        then add zero points to the financial wellness score;    -   (g) if the result of the calculation in (e) is greater than 1,        then add ten points to the financial wellness score; and    -   (h) if the result of the calculation in (e) is greater than (−1)        and less than 1, then add 1 to the result of the calculation in        (e), multiply the result by 7.5, and then add the result to the        financial wellness score.

At the completion of act 1510, process 1500 ends.

In some embodiments, processes 1220, 1300, 1400 and 1500 may result inpoints being added to the user's financial wellness score, up to amaximum of sixty points. The combined financial wellness score (e.g.,also incorporating the maximum forty points which the user may earn byproviding the information listed in Tables 5 and 6) may provide the userwith an indication of her overall financial well-being. Being given aconsistent indication of her overall financial wellness may encourageher to behave in ways that improve that wellness over time.

In addition, as noted above, rewards may be provided to the user as aresult of the user having achieved particular levels of financialwell-being. For example, a determination that a user's score isconsistently rising may qualify the user for “points” which may beredeemed for goods, services, discounts, and/or other types ofconsideration. A redemption of points may lead to the user beingencouraged to continue her positive financial behavior. For example, ifthe user redeems points for a discount on an item that she planned topurchase anyway, the user may be encouraged to save the amount shedidn't spend because of the discount. As such, some embodiments of theinvention may promote a cycle whereby the user does the right thingsfinancially, raises her financial wellness score and acquires points asa result, and those points continue to support the user's ability tomake good financial decisions, leading to the user's financial wellnessscore continuing to increase over time, and so on.

In some embodiments, a user's personality may affect, at least in part,the communication she receives from the system, experience that ispresented to her, to most effectively drive behavioral change.Personalities may be defined by their tendency to demonstrate effectivefinancial consciousness, control and choice. The user's personality maybe identified using, for example, behavioral indicators gleaned fromtransaction data, and self-reported psychographic traits which definewhat and how different aspects of the overall experience are presentedto most effectively drive behavioral change.

Some embodiments of the invention may employ personality archetypes, toidentify, for example, those who are methodical in making spendingand/or saving decisions, and those who are more impulsive in making suchdecisions and/or do so inconsistently. This personality defined for theuser may drive types of messages that she receives. For example, if theuser is identified as one who is methodical in making financialdecisions, messages may be sent to that user which promote, as anexample, setting aside $10 a month as savings. This type of message maybe well-received by this type of personality, because this user ismethodical by nature. For someone who makes financial decisions moreimpulsively, messages may be received which indicate that the system maylevy a “spend tax” or establish a “tip jar” to promote the right typesof financial behaviors, in a manner which appeals to this person'spersonality type. Thus, some embodiments of the invention may define the“voice,” tools and approach that is taken with respect to eachindividual user in encouraging good financial decision-making.

V. Implementation Detail

FIG. 16 illustrates one example of a suitable computing systemenvironment 1600 which may be used to implement aspects of theinvention. The computing system environment 1600 is only one example ofa suitable computing environment, and is not intended to suggest anylimitation as to the scope of use or functionality of the invention.Neither should the computing environment 1600 be interpreted as havingany dependency or requirement relating to any one or combination ofcomponents illustrated in the exemplary operating environment 1600. Inthis respect, the invention is operational with numerous other generalpurpose or special purpose computing system environments orconfigurations. Examples of well-known computing systems, environments,and/or configurations that may be suitable for use with the inventioninclude, but are not limited to, personal computers, server computers,mobile or laptop devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-basedsystems, set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics, network PCs,minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computing environmentsthat include any of the above systems or devices, and the like.

The computing environment may execute computer-executable instructions,such as program modules. Generally, program modules include routines,programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Theinvention may also be practiced in distributed computing environmentswhere tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linkedthrough a communications network. In a distributed computingenvironment, program modules may be located in both local and remotecomputer storage media including memory storage devices.

FIG. 16 depicts a general purpose computing device in the form of acomputer 1610. Components of computer 1610 may include, but are notlimited to, a processing unit 1620, a system memory 1630, and a systembus 1621 that couples various system components including the systemmemory to the processing unit 1620. The system bus 1621 may be any ofseveral types of bus structures including a memory bus or memorycontroller, a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety ofbus architectures. By way of example, and not limitation, sucharchitectures include Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus, MicroChannel Architecture (MCA) bus, Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, VideoElectronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, and PeripheralComponent Interconnect (PCI) bus also known as Mezzanine bus.

Computer 1610 typically includes a variety of computer readable media.Computer readable media can be any available media that can be accessedby computer 1610 and includes both volatile and nonvolatile media,removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and notlimitation, computer readable media may comprise computer storage mediaand communication media. Computer storage media includes both volatileand nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in anymethod or technology for storage of information such as computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data.Computer storage media include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM,EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other one or more media which may be used to store the desiredinformation and may be accessed by computer 1610. Communication mediatypically embody computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as acarrier wave or other transport mechanism and includes any informationdelivery media. The term “modulated data signal” means a signal that hasone or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as toencode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation,communication media include wired media such as a wired network ordirect-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF,infrared and other wireless media. Combinations of the any of the aboveshould also be included within the scope of computer readable media.

The system memory 1630 includes computer storage media in the form ofvolatile and/or nonvolatile memory such as read only memory (ROM) 1631and random access memory (RAM) 1632. A basic input/output system 1633(BIOS), containing the basic routines that help to transfer informationbetween elements within computer 1610, such as during start-up, istypically stored in ROM 1631. RAM 1632 typically contains data and/orprogram modules that are immediately accessible to and/or presentlybeing operated on by processing unit 1620. By way of example, and notlimitation, FIG. 16 illustrates operating system 1634, applicationprograms 1635, other program modules 1636, and program data 1637.

The computer 1610 may also include other removable/non-removable,volatile/nonvolatile computer storage media. By way of example only,FIG. 16 illustrates a hard disk drive 1641 that reads from or writes tonon-removable, nonvolatile magnetic media, a magnetic disk drive 1651that reads from or writes to a removable, nonvolatile magnetic disk1652, and an optical disk drive 1655 that reads from or writes to aremovable, nonvolatile optical disk 1656 such as a CD ROM or otheroptical media. Other removable/non-removable, volatile/nonvolatilecomputer storage media that can be used in the exemplary operatingenvironment include, but are not limited to, magnetic tape cassettes,flash memory cards, digital versatile disks, digital video tape, solidstate RAM, solid state ROM, and the like. The hard disk drive 1641 istypically connected to the system bus 1621 through an non-removablememory interface such as interface 1640, and magnetic disk drive 1651and optical disk drive 1655 are typically connected to the system bus1621 by a removable memory interface, such as interface 1650.

The drives and their associated computer storage media discussed aboveand illustrated in FIG. 16, provide storage of computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules and other data for thecomputer 1610. In FIG. 16, for example, hard disk drive 1641 isillustrated as storing operating system 1644, application programs 1645,other program modules 1646, and program data 1647. Note that thesecomponents can either be the same as or different from operating system1634, application programs 1635, other program modules 536, and programdata 1637. Operating system 1644, application programs 1645, otherprogram modules 1646, and program data 1647 are given different numbershere to illustrate that, at a minimum, they are different copies. A usermay enter commands and information into the computer 1610 through inputdevices such as a keyboard 1662 and pointing device 1661, commonlyreferred to as a mouse, trackball or touch pad. Other input devices (notshown) may include a microphone, joystick, game pad, satellite dish,scanner, or the like. These and other input devices are often connectedto the processing unit 1620 through a user input interface 560 that iscoupled to the system bus, but may be connected by other interface andbus structures, such as a parallel port, game port or a universal serialbus (USB). A monitor 1691 or other type of display device is alsoconnected to the system bus 1621 via an interface, such as a videointerface 1690. In addition to the monitor, computers may also includeother peripheral output devices such as speakers 1697 and printer 1696,which may be connected through a output peripheral interface 1695.

The computer 1610 may operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer1680. The remote computer 1680 may be a personal computer, a server, arouter, a network PC, a peer device or other common network node, andtypically includes many or all of the elements described above relativeto the computer 1610, although only a memory storage device 1681 hasbeen illustrated in FIG. 16. The logical connections depicted in FIG. 16include a local area network (LAN) 1671 and a wide area network (WAN)1673, but may also include other networks. Such networking environmentsare commonplace in offices, enterprise-wide computer networks, intranetsand the Internet.

When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 1610 isconnected to the LAN 1671 through a network interface or adapter 1670.When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 1610 typicallyincludes a modem 1672 or other means for establishing communicationsover the WAN 1673, such as the Internet. The modem 1672, which may beinternal or external, may be connected to the system bus 1621 via theuser input interface 1660, or other appropriate mechanism. In anetworked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer1610, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory storagedevice. By way of example, and not limitation, FIG. 16 illustratesremote application programs 1685 as residing on memory device 1681. Itwill be appreciated that the network connections shown are exemplary andother means of establishing a communications link between the computersmay be used.

Having thus described several aspects of at least one embodiment of thisinvention, it is to be appreciated that various alterations,modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled inthe art.

Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to bepart of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit andscope of the invention. Further, though advantages of the presentinvention are indicated, it should be appreciated that not everyembodiment of the invention will include every described advantage. Someembodiments may not implement any features described as advantageousherein and in some instances. Accordingly, the foregoing description anddrawings are by way of example only.

The above-described embodiments of the present invention can beimplemented in any of numerous ways. For example, the embodiments may beimplemented using hardware, software or a combination thereof. Whenimplemented in software, the software code can be executed on anysuitable processor or collection of processors, whether provided in asingle computer or distributed among multiple computers. Such processorsmay be implemented as integrated circuits, with one or more processorsin an integrated circuit component. Though, a processor may beimplemented using circuitry in any suitable format.

Further, it should be appreciated that a computer may be embodied in anyof a number of forms, such as a rack-mounted computer, a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, or a tablet computer. Additionally, acomputer may be embedded in a device not generally regarded as acomputer but with suitable processing capabilities, including a PersonalDigital Assistant (PDA), a smart phone or any other suitable portable orfixed electronic device.

Also, a computer may have one or more input and output devices. Thesedevices can be used, among other things, to present a user interface.Examples of output devices that can be used to provide a user interfaceinclude printers or display screens for visual presentation of outputand speakers or other sound generating devices for audible presentationof output. Examples of input devices that can be used for a userinterface include keyboards, and pointing devices, such as mice, touchpads, and digitizing tablets. As another example, a computer may receiveinput information through speech recognition or in other audible format.

Such computers may be interconnected by one or more networks in anysuitable form, including as a local area network or a wide area network,such as an enterprise network or the Internet. Such networks may bebased on any suitable technology and may operate according to anysuitable protocol and may include wireless networks, wired networks orfiber optic networks.

Also, the various methods or processes outlined herein may be coded assoftware that is executable on one or more processors that employ anyone of a variety of operating systems or platforms. Additionally, suchsoftware may be written using any of a number of suitable programminglanguages and/or programming or scripting tools, and also may becompiled as executable machine language code or intermediate code thatis executed on a framework or virtual machine.

In this respect, the invention may be embodied as a computer readablestorage medium (or multiple computer readable media) (e.g., a computermemory, one or more floppy discs, compact discs (CD), optical discs,digital video disks (DVD), magnetic tapes, flash memories, circuitconfigurations in Field Programmable Gate Arrays or other semiconductordevices, or other tangible computer storage medium) encoded with one ormore programs that, when executed on one or more computers or otherprocessors, perform methods that implement the various embodiments ofthe invention discussed above. As is apparent from the foregoing toexamples, a computer readable storage medium may retain information fora sufficient time to provide computer-executable instructions in anon-transitory form. Such a computer readable storage medium or mediacan be transportable, such that the program or programs stored thereoncan be loaded onto one or more different computers or other processorsto implement various aspects of the present invention as discussedabove. As used herein, the term “computer-readable storage medium”encompasses only a computer-readable medium that can be considered to bea manufacture (i.e., article of manufacture) or a machine. Alternativelyor additionally, the invention may be embodied as a computer readablemedium other than a computer-readable storage medium, such as apropagating signal.

The terms “program” or “software” are used herein in a generic sense torefer to any type of computer code or set of computer-executableinstructions that can be employed to program a computer or otherprocessor to implement various aspects of the present invention asdiscussed above. Additionally, it should be appreciated that accordingto one aspect of this embodiment, one or more computer programs thatwhen executed perform methods of the present invention need not resideon a single computer or processor, but may be distributed in a modularfashion amongst a number of different computers or processors toimplement various aspects of the present invention.

Computer-executable instructions may be in many forms, such as programmodules, executed by one or more computers or other devices. Generally,program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, datastructures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types. Typically the functionality of the program modulesmay be combined or distributed as desired in various embodiments.

Also, data structures may be stored in computer-readable media in anysuitable form. For simplicity of illustration, data structures may beshown to have fields that are related through location in the datastructure. Such relationships may likewise be achieved by assigningstorage for the fields with locations in a computer-readable medium thatconveys relationship between the fields. However, any suitable mechanismmay be used to establish a relationship between information in fields ofa data structure, including through the use of pointers, tags or othermechanisms that establish relationship between data elements.

Various aspects of the present invention may be used alone, incombination, or in a variety of arrangements not specifically discussedin the embodiments described in the foregoing and is therefore notlimited in its application to the details and arrangement of componentsset forth in the foregoing description or illustrated in the drawings.For example, aspects described in one embodiment may be combined in anymanner with aspects described in other embodiments.

Also, the invention may be embodied as a method, of which an example hasbeen provided. The acts performed as part of the method may be orderedin any suitable way. Accordingly, embodiments may be constructed inwhich acts are performed in an order different than illustrated, whichmay include performing some acts simultaneously, even though shown assequential acts in illustrative embodiments.

Use of ordinal terms such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., in theclaims to modify a claim element does not by itself connote anypriority, precedence, or order of one claim element over another or thetemporal order in which acts of a method are performed, but are usedmerely as labels to distinguish one claim element having a certain namefrom another element having a same name (but for use of the ordinalterm) to distinguish the claim elements.

Also, the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescription and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of“including,” “comprising,” or “having,” “containing,” “involving,” andvariations thereof herein, is meant to encompass the items listedthereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computer system configured to provide feedbackto a user of a mobile device about the user's financial behavior, thecomputer system comprising: at least one computer processor programmedto; identify, from among transactions performed by the user during anongoing period, transactions of a particular type, each transaction ofthe particular type having an associated transaction amount; identify atleast one prior period comparable to the ongoing period; identify, fromamong transactions performed by the user during the at least one priorperiod, transactions of the particular type, each transaction of theparticular type having an associated transaction amount; compare thetransaction amounts for the identified transactions performed during theongoing period to the transaction amounts for the identifiedtransactions performed during each at least one prior period; determine,as a result of the comparing, that the user is contemplating performinga transaction; and in response to the determining, send to the mobiledevice a promotional offer relating to the contemplated transaction.